Officials: Dog pack killed 9 goats near Tonasket

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TONASKET, Wash. (AP) - State wildlife officers say a pack of dogs is to blame for the deaths of nine goats in Okanogan County last week.

Livestock owners in the Mount Hull area northeast of Tonasket thought a cougar may have been responsible for the attack in their goat pen last Monday. The Wenatchee World reports that the state Department of Fish and Wildlife set up a trap and saw the dogs on camera.

There were no cougar tracks found nearby, but a wildlife officer did see two German shepherd-type dogs chasing sheep in the area, leading the officer to conclude the pack of dogs had killed the goats.

The dogs are believed to remain at large.

Sheriff Frank Rogers says the Mt. Hull area has had problems with packs of dogs off and on for years. A few years ago, the goat owners complained about dogs killing their chickens, and were told they could shoot them if they were attacking their animals.